Bridge for stringed musical instruments.



D. C. RICHARDS.

BRIDGE FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED MARLIB. 1915.

1,186,333. Patented June 6,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

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D. C. RICHARDS.

BRIDGE FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I8, 1915.

Patented J 11113 6, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTORY. 26772772072 C fll'chards A TTOR/IIEIS THB COLUMBIA: PLANOGRAPH 20., WASIIINUTON. n. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DEMMON C. RICHARDS, 01 HOT SPRINGS, ARKANSAS.

BRIDGE FOR STRING-ED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Application filed March 18, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DEMMON C. RICH- ARDS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hot Springs, in the county of Garland and State of Arkansas, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Bridges for Stringed Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in bridges for stringed musical instruments and the invention has for its object to provide a bridge of the character specified adapted for use with any character of stringed instruments as for instance violins, cellos, Violas, and the like, wherein the bridge is in the form of a hollow casing having open ends, one of which is adapted to rest upon the sounding board of the instrument, and the other end is adapted to receive and support the strings.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective View of a stringed instrument of the violin type provided with the improved bridge, Fig. 2 is a side View of the bridge, Fig. 3 is an end view, Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a top plan view, Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 4, Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the string support, Fig. 8 is a longitudinal vertical section of a modification, Fig. 9 is a longitudinal vertical section of another embodiment of the invention, Fig. 10 is a transverse vertical section of the same, Fig. 11 is a longitudinal vertical section of another modification, and Fig. 12 is a trans verse vertical section of the same.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 7 is shown in connection with the body 1 of a stringed instrument of the violin type, the bridge being arranged beneath the strings 2, between the tail piece 3 and the finger board 4 and resting on the sounding board of the instrument between the holes in the usual manner. The bridge is in the form of a casing consisting of oppositely arranged laterally spaced and approximately parallel sides 5 and ends 6 connecting the sides. The lower side edges of the side 5 of the bridge are shaped to fit the upper face of the sounding board of the instrument, the side edges being concave in the present instance and the upper side edges, it will be noticed, are convex, as indicated at 7.

A series of bridge pieces 8 is arranged between the side walls5 of the bridge, the said Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 6, 1916.

Serial No. 15,291.

bridge pieces extending from near the tops of the sides approximately one-third of their depth, and the lower free edges of the bridge pieces are beveled in opposite directions, as indicated at 9. The bridge pieces 8 support a string support 10, the said support being of a length to extend from the outer face of one end 6 to the outer face of the other end, and the upper free edge of the string support is convex from side to side, the degree of convexity depending upon the degree of convexity desired in the transverse arrangement of the strings.

The lower edge of the string support is notched at its ends as indicated at 11 to engage the end walls 6 of the bridge, and intermediate its ends the lower edge of the string support is notched, as indicated at 12, to receive the upper edges of the bridge pieces 8. Thus the string support is supported half way between the side walls 5 of the bridge being supported by the bridge pieces 8 and the end walls 6 of the bridge. The upper free edge of the string support is rounded in the usual manner and may be notched to receive the strings and to properly space the same at the bridge.

The bridge pieces and the end walls 6 of the bridge form a sufiiciently rigid support for the string support, and it will be noted that the said support is held far enough above the upper edges of the side walls 5 to prevent the strings engaging said wall.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 8 is a hollow casing substantially rectangular in cross section and having open ends,'consisting of side walls 13 and connecting end walls L1. The lower end of the casing is archedv or concave longitudinally to fit the sounding board of the instrument and the upper end of the casing is convex longitudinally.

Bridge pieces 15 are provided for supporting the string support 16, and the bridge pieces 15 differ from the bridge pieces 8 in that they extend the full depth of the casing, instead of but a short dis tance from the top as in Fig. 4. The string support 16 is precisely the same as the support 10 having notches l7 and 18 in its lower edges, the former notches being at the ends and for engaging the upper ends of the end walls while the latter notches are intermediate the ends of the string support and are adapted to engage the bridge pieces.

Figs. 9 and 10 show an embodiment of the invention wherein a diaphragm is provided. ing having open ends and of rectangular cross section and composed of side walls 19 and connecting end walls 20, the side walls having their'lower edges shaped longitudinally to fit the sounding board and their upper edges are convex longitudinally of the side walls. The bridge pieces 21 are arranged near the upper edges of the side wall and transversely of the casing, the side edges of the bridge pieces being secured to the casing.

The string support 22 is similar to the support having notches 23 and 24 in its lower edge for engaging the end walls and the bridge pieces respectively. The lower end of each of the bridge pieces is notched at its center as indicated at 25 and the notches are in register from end to end of the casing. A diaphragm 26 is arranged longitudinally of the casing, just below the bridge pieces, the upper edge of the diaphragm being received in the notches 25 of the bridge pieces. The diaphragm extends the full length of the casing, and almost the full depth, stopping short, however, of the lower end of the casing.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 11 and 12, the casing corresponds in shape and arrangement to the casings before described consisting of side walls 27 and end walls 28 connecting the side walls and the lower edges of the side walls are shaped to fit the sounding board, the upper edges being convex.

The bridge pieces 29 correspond in size and arrangement more nearly to the bridge pieces 8, extending from near the upper edges of the side walls about one-third or one-fourth the depth of the casing. A diaphragm 30 is arranged transversely of the casing and horizontally when the bridge is erect. This diaphragm is held in place by pairs of longitudinally extending bars 31 and pairs of transversely extending bars 32, secured to the inner faces of the side and end walls respectively.

A pair of bars 31 is secured to each side wall and a pair of bars 32 is secured to each end wall. The members of each pair of bars are arranged above and below the diaphragm and the bars are secured to the casing walls .in any suitable or desired manner. Thus the diaphragm is so held that the central portion thereof may vibrate freely and it will be understood that the diaphragm may be of-any suitable or desired material.

A coil spring 33 is arranged within the casing, the spring passing through a central opening in the diaphragm, and connected at its lower end thereto. The upper end of the spring is connected to the central bridge piece and the central portion of the dia- This construction consists of a cas-- phragm is thus yieldingly supported from above and from below. The string support 35 corresponds in shape and arrangement to the supports 10, 16 and 22 before described, being connected to the casing and the bridge pieces in the same manner as the said other string support.

I claim:

1. A bridge for stringed musical instruments comprising a casing open at its'top and bottom and of approximately rectangular cross section, the bottom of the casing being shaped to fit smoothly on the upper face of the sounding board, bridge pieces extending transversely of the casing near the top thereof and between the side walls of the casing, said bridge pieces being arranged in spaced relation and approximately parallel, and a string support connected to the bridge pieces and the ends of the casing and with its upper edge extending above the sidewalls and end walls of the casing, and a diaphragm within the casing and separating it into two compartments.

2. A bridge for stringed musical instruments comprising a casing having open ends and of approximately rectangular cross section, the lower end of the casing being shaped to fit smoothly on the upper face of the sounding board, bridge pieces extending transversely of the casing near the top thereof and between the side Walls of the casing, said bridge pieces being arranged in spaced relation and approximately parallel, and a string support connected to the bridge pieces and the ends of the casing and with its upper edge extending above the side walls and end walls of the casing, and a diaphragm within the casing and separating the same into two compartments, said diaphragm having, connection at spaced points within the casing and the bridge pieces.

3. A bridge for stringed musical instruments comprising a casing having open ends and approximately rectangular cross section, the lower end of the casing bei shaped to fit smoothly on the upper face iil the sounding board, bridge pieces extending transversely of the casing near the top thereof and between the side walls of the casing, said bridge pieces being arranged in spaced relation and approximately parallel, and a string support connected to the bridge pieces and the ends of the casing and with its upper edge extending above the side walls and end walls of the casing, and a diaphragm arranged transversely of the casing below the bridge pieces, and connected at its edges to the side and end walls, and

a coil spring connected at one end to the string support and passing through the diaphragm and adapted to engage the sounding board at its lower end.

4. A bridge for stringed musical instruments comprising a casing having open ends and of approximately rectangular cross section, the lower end of the casing being shaped to fit smoothly on the upper face of the sounding board, bridge pieces extending transversely of the casing near the top thereof and between the side walls of the casing, said bridge pieces being arranged in spaced relation and approximately parallel and a string support connected to the bridge pieces and the ends of the casing and with its upper edge extending above the side walls and end walls of the casing, and a diaphragm arranged transversely of the casing below the bridge pieces, and connected at its edges to the side and end walls.

5. A bridge for stringed musical instruments comprising a casing having open ends and of approximately rectangular cross section, the lower end of the casing being shaped to fit smoothly on the upper face of the sounding board, bridge pieces extending transversely of the casing near the top thereof and between the side walls of the casing, said bridge pieces being arranged in spaced relation and approximately parallel, and a string support connected to the bridge pieces and the ends of the casing and with its upper edge extending above the side walls and end walls of the casing.

6. A bridge for stringed instruments consisting of upright side walls spaced apart throughout, end walls connecting said side walls and spacing the same apart in parallel relation, a plurality of bridge pieces connecting said side Walls and arranged in spaced parallel relation to one another and to the end walls, and a string support extending between and parallel to the upper edges of said side walls and projecting thereabove, said support having notches receiving the upper edges-0f the said bridge pieces and the said end walls.

DEMMON C. RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

A. A. SEALE, ETI-IEL M. PARKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington. I). 0. 

